From the Town Hall you walk along the Hofplein. Turn right onto Pompenburg and turn left again onto Couwenburg at the Delftse Poort monument. You can walk under the railway via Raampoortstraat.
Another (and perhaps more fun) route is to climb the yellow Luchtsingel. It goes over the railway, so that you end up on top of the old Hofplein Station.
The Hofplein line ran between Scheveningen and Rotterdam Center for a century. The route has not been in use since 2010, but the old Hofplein terminal station has undergone a huge transformation in recent years. There are exceptionally good restaurants, an excellent jazz stage and of course nice boutiques.
Air girth
Even on the roof of the station it is often cozy. For example, you can sometimes find the open-air cinema Roffa Mon Amour there, the city festival Motel Mozaïque often organizes a party there and, above all, you can hang out there. There is also a botanical garden where you can relax.
Thanks to the yellow wooden footbridge from architectural firm ZUS, a walking route runs from Central Station to Hofplein Station, straight through the Schieblock, a building that serves as a breeding ground for young entrepreneurs and creatives.
Did you know…
The Hofbogen is officially the longest building in Rotterdam? The Hofpleinlijn viaduct is 20 kilometers long from Hofplein Station to the A1,9. Since the train and metro no longer run on the route, all kinds of companies and initiatives have established themselves in the arches under the rails. You will find coffee shops, studios, furniture shops, bicycle repair shops and even a renowned knife sharpening shop.
It's really chock full of fun stuff – we could dedicate a book to it. The Must See editors often work in the Coppi coffee and bicycle shop and get their sweets from the Urban Bakery on Voorburgstraat. It always smells and tastes delicious. Also nice: the vintage music studio of Rotterdam pop gem Dave von Raven (The Kik) is also located in the Hofbogen. That would never have been possible if a train or subway had passed over it!
TIP:
On the roof of the Schieblock (just by elevator) you will find the DakAkker, the largest roof farm in Europe, and Bistro Op het Dak. There you can have breakfast and lunch outside the winter season with fresh products from the garden, with a beautiful view over the center of Rotterdam.
Behind the Schieblock is the Biergarten: a small piece of Bavaria in the middle of Rotterdam. The recipe is simple: good beer, barbecue, DJs and big screens when the Dutch team has to play. In terms of fun, you're in the right place here.
Continue traveling
The route continues from the Heer Bokelweg tram stop, where you take tram 4 (Marconiplein) to Central Station. You must of course see the station, a kind of silver shark fin.
